21st Century Skills: Is There Room For This?

The reading of several articles, from critics and supporters of P21(21st Century Skills)have given me much to ponder. Of course, I think most if not all educators instinctively search for ways to improve learning. It is my belief that somehow educators-especially teachers-have a compelling desire to reach their students. I use my education history as an example of what is possible.

I was nurtured with positivity, during my formative years in school. I can vividly remember how some teachers would get into your head to find out how you were thinking. They had a sincere desire to understand how to connect your learning experiences with their ways of teaching. Exposure was the key to broadening ones knowledge without the technology that is available today. I can remember to this day going to a planetarium so that we could make a connection to the universe. My mind was so occupied with the universe and the narrator that it enabled me to remember important elements about every planet.

As I look back on my early childhood education, I view it more as an interactive learning experience. Learning to research to gather information for papers and presentations. Every project I worked on was group related. The tools that were used for research were very effective. I am speaking of micro-film, publications, encyclopedias and various other materials all of which were in the local library. The only difference between then and now is the speed of retrieving this information.

I support the ideology of P21 because I think it is clear about cognitive learning and critical thinking. I do not think its a panacea that will resolve all the ills of education. Do I think there is room for P21? The answer is yes, and I don't think it has to be viewed as a major dissent from other paradigms.

It may be difficult to implement all aspects of P21 in this educational climate of major funding and budget cuts but it is not impossible.

Creating Technological Pedagogy For The 21st Century Classroom

The classroom of the 21st century is evolving such that the pedagogy has to be more technologically creative. Technological devices are a way of life for today's learners. They are constantly faced with the challenge of technological competitiveness. It is imperative for the teacher to understand the students environment i.e, keeping up with the technology that they are using outside of the classroom. This is not difficult, the only tool needed is dialogue between both you and the learner. It is my opinion that using a democratic approach can foster a more homogeneous learning environment.

Traditional monotone pedagogy is ineffective and will keep today's learners in a state of boredom. It is my belief that being a recent graduate of education has prepared me to align my pedagogy with the NJ Core Curriculum Standards as it relates to content area technology. More appropriately, it is incumbent upon me to align myself with my colleagues and the administration to promote dialogue relative to best practices for using technology in the 21st century classroom.

As a mathematics teacher for both secondary and middle-school, it is my plan to use the core standards as a guide. The strand 8.1c "Communication and Collaboration" in the NJ Core Curriculum content area technology standards is poignantly aligned with my philosophical pedagogical belief. Communication and collaboration are critical elements for effective learning.

The use of digital tools to communicate and collaborate to develop an on-line learning community is essential for the 21st century classroom. This can benefit the parent as well as the student, bringing everyone to a forum in a common place. Imagine a student who is absent from school but is able to go to an on-line community and dialogue with his/her peers about subject content matter and homework assignments. There are a plethora of technological applications that can foster an on-line learning community. One of such would be the development of a Wiki, or Ning such as what I have been exposed to in Curr518. Students can and should be able to model and design documents, create databases, analyze and retrieve research data intelligently. The student should not be limited to using digital tools only used in the classroom.

It is my plan to use various digital tools to engage students in learning mathematics. My goal is to engage students in real world applications as it relates to the content and effectively use themes to build a curriculum.